This invention relates generally to combination or composite tools and more particularly to a surgical instrument adapted to be selectively and interchangeably used either as a forceps or as a scalpel and adaptable for connecting the instrument to an electrical circuit for coagulating blood during surgical techniques.
The use of composite or combination tools that can be converted selectively and alternatively for more than one use are known.
In the field of medicine, surgical tools have found wide and varied usage and composite tools in which forceps or tweezers can coact with other elements for performing other functions such as piercing or cutting are known in the art as is shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 990,882, 2,934,070 and 3,364,572.
Various surgical techniques requiring general anesthesia such as breast reduction and abdominoplasty can become so involved that several hours may be spent by the surgeon in cutting tissue and coagulating blood vessels before closing of surgical incisions can be commenced.
Since time spent under general anesthesia as will be understood by those skilled in the art is best kept to a minimum, these above mentioned operations as well as other complex operations often present problems which are highly distressing to the surgeon particularly when the patient bleeds more than usual because the cut-blot-coagulating sequence, hereinafter C-B-C, keeps repeating itself over and over again. Each C-B-C sequence requires that instruments change hands between the surgeon and his operating room nurses and assistants which causes a loss of time with each exchange cycle of these instruments. This loss of time multiplies unnoticed to the surgeon because he is busily involved in the complex details of the surgery.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved composite tool or surgical instrument operable as a forceps, a scalpel and a coagulating means selectively and alternatively and which can be utilized by a surgeon during an operation where the C-B-C sequence is frequent or for that matter in any type of surgical procedure in which it is desirable to reduce wasted instrument exchange time among the members of the surgical team conducting a given operation.
This is accomplished in the present improved surgical instrument by providing a forceps with a scalpel blade supporting assembly which is slidably mounted thereon so that the scalpel blade can be moved from a concealed position within the forceps to a cutting position in such a manner that as the scalpel blade is moved to its cutting position the scalpel blade supporting assembly simultaneously locks the respective resilient members or arms of the forceps so that the forceps is converted into a handle or holder for the scalpel blade and the tool or surgical instrument self-locks itself when the scalpel blade is in the extended or cutting position. Further, the forceps may also be provided with a connection for connecting the forceps to an electrical current generating circuit so that an electrical current can be applied through the surgical instrument by means of a foot control which the surgeon can use to actuate the electric current generating circuit and thus pass the current through the forceps for coagulating blood in the well known manner.